Slowing down to save money in a turboprop. Does it really work ?
Hi Pruners
I'm wanting to gauge peoples / operators experience on this. Does reducing power really save money on a turboprop. On a larger jet, fine. But lets take the 30 to 80 seat range of turboprops nipping in and out of regional ports, short flights lots of cycles.
There are a number of operators out there who are reducing fuel flows in cruise to a more "efficient" power but in turn shaving a few knots off the speed. The result is obviously increased flight times and supposedly reduced sector fuel burns. However, with increased average flight times added up over say a maintenance cycle, this results in reduced flights and passengers moved per cycle (or per dollar of maintenance spent). Over a large (and aging, maintenance intensive) fleet there can be some big numbers here.
I know of one operator that experimented with slow downs over a year in the early 2000s, saved them bucket loads in fuel but cost them twice the savings,- in maintenance.
So what wins ? A few pounds or kgs of fuel saved added up or the increased cost of maintenance per flight or per person ? Interested to hear your thoughts and experiences.